Kandi Who?

Guess who went and bought herself a new computer this weekend?!  This girl!  My husband, along with Rebekah's husband, went on a 4 day golf trip (tough life)... so in a nut shell, I was tired of waiting.  It took the computer guy a month to decide my computer was not worth repairing.  Seriously! 

I have a list a mile long on things I could post on but I wanted to use this as a catch up post of what has been going on the last month or so. 

Easter came and went.  I didn't get to show off any cute projects so I guess I'll save them for next year.  My family did have a hay day at the Easter table doing extra special pictures just for the blog.

Well, you guys are special all right!   I am pretty sure they didn't think I would put them on here.  Will, Matt, and Karla.... you should use this as a learning experience!  The plate runneth over with ham, creamy delicious macaroni and cheese, green beans from my moms garden, potato salad, coconut cake and more.  I'm going to find and excuse to share some of these recipes before next Easter. You can catch a sneak peak of my new dining room chairs if you look close at the top picture.  Yay!  LOVE them! 

There have been lots of projects going on around here and more still in the works.   The dining room is getting a face lift.  Posts to come on recovering dining room chairs, adding length to curtains in the form of a band at the bottom, repurposing an old sign to a chalkboard, and a few other projects.  We just need to finish up the paint before the room is "done".  Although, it really needs a new sideboard to be done done!  Not happening this week though! 

I have missed blogging!  I have missed talking to Rebekah every day!  I did have lots of extra time on my hands which was awesome!  So, Rebekah, take the month off if you want to but I'm sure everyone will miss your awesome sewing projects, recipes, etc. 



I am going to end with showing off these sweet babies because I just can't help it!  But, starting tomorrow things will be back to normal around here!  I love my new little Dell computer!

Kandi

Strawberry Trifle

I have a new dessert recipe I want to share with you.  This is a super easy, no bake semi-homemade trifle.   If you are able to forgo chocolate for the night, (a rare occasion in our house) and you are looking for a sweet treat that is light and fluffy, then this is for you!

Strawberry Trifle

 Ingredients

1 box of ripe strawberries
Angel Food Cake (I bought this, but if you have the time...)
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
3 T powdered sugar,
1 t vanilla
2 Packages of Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1/2 Cup Strawberry Jam
1 T liquid corn starch
1/2 Cup Water

Optional
1/4 Cup Light Rum


* I like to use a trifle bowl for this dessert, However you can also make this dessert in individual cups.  (As seen in my photos).

Getting your trifle layers ready....

1.  Cut up half of the Angel Food Cake (pieces should be bite sized, less than 1 inch.  I bought a huge cake, that is why I only needed half. 

2. Mix up Instant Vanilla Pudding according to directions.  Cool in refrigerator while preparing other layers.

3. Beat Heavy Whipping Cream, 1 t. vanilla, and 2 T. powdered sugar until peaks form.  Place in refrigerator.

4. Slice Strawberries add 1 T powdered sugar to berries and let stand for 10 minutes. 

5. (This is the only complicated step of the recipe.) Make Strawberry Sauce.  In a heavy sauce pan combine 1/2 cup sliced strawberries in their sugar sauce, 1/2 cup strawberry jam and 1/4 cup light rum.  Bring to a boil.  Add 1/2 cup water, and 1 T liquid Corn Starch.  Bring back up to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat.  Cook, stirring constantly for another 2 minutes.  Sauce should thicken up. Taste for sweetness, you can always add a little sugar to the sauce.



Layer the Trifle

Lay half of the angel food cake in the bottom of the trifle dish.  Pour half of the strawberry sauce over the cake.  Place 1/3 of the cut strawberries  over the sauce.  Pour 1/2 of the vanilla pudding over the strawberries.  Spread half of the whipped cream over the pudding.  Continue layering.  (Remaining cake, remaining sauce, 1/3 berries, remaining pudding, remaining whipped cream.  Strawberries to garnish.

Voila! This is a great summer dessert, just add a few blue berries and you are ready for any Fourth of July or Memorial Day Party!

Hope you Enjoy this guilt free dessert! I finally snatched the camera from my photographer and snapped a quick picture of her!  (she was so thrilled!)

Rebekah

Check out our "where we party" button if you want to see where I linked up.

Long Lumbar Pillow Tutorial

A couple weeks ago I showed you C's new extra long lumbar pillow.  It was created out of a need for color in his monochromatic room. 

Today I will share with you the steps I took to make this pillow.  As I said in my last post, this project is really not that expensive if you are able to sew, and if you can find a fabric you love, at a great price.  This pillow cost me less than $20 including the down pillow form.  However, if you were going to have one custom made, the cost would be well over $100 and depending on the work room you choose, perhaps even a couple hundred dollars.  As always, if you have any questions please ask me at the bottom of the tutorial under comments.  That way I can share my answers with everyone.  (Don't be afraid to ask me even the most obvious questions, I have been known to leave a step out here and there....) For this project I am going to show you the general steps to take so that you can make your pillow any size to fit your space.

Step 1:
Finding your inspiration fabric.  You will need approximately 2 yards for a pillow this size.

Step 2:
Cutting out your pieces. I like to use round household objects usually found in my kitchen to create circles...for this project I used a pie pan for the diameter of the circle.  Trace the circle with a fabric pencil, and then cut it out.  All other measurements come from this cut.

Cut out the rest of your pieces.  For this step you need to determine the circumference of your circle.  The first way you can do this is by measuring the diameter of the circle (the length of the entire circle through the center point) So in this case, 10 inches.  Multiply that number by pi (3.14) and you will have a length of 31.4 inches.  Add one inch for seam allowance so we need to cut our long piece of fabric 32.4 inches long.  The long strips are for the self cording.  (Cut them 2 inches longer than your circumference, and 2 inches wide)

If you are terrible at math like me, you can do it this way too...

Pin your circle to your remaining long piece of fabric.  As you follow your circle, you will be gathering the length of the rectangle. Add one inch to allow for seam allowance, then cut.

Step 3: 

Sew your cording.  Use your zipper foot, and put the needle in the left most position.  (I sew this entire pillow with my zipper foot in the left most postition so I can be right up on the cord).

Sew cord to the circle piece.  Repeat.

Sew your zipper into the long rectangular piece. I am going to assume you know how to sew in a zipper.  If you don't leave me a comment and I will write a zipper tutorial.

Sew long rectangular piece together.  (Sew fabric together on either side of the zipper.)

Sew rectangular piece to the round pieces.

Your pillow case is finished!  Now follow the steps omit the cording step to make the pillow form.  I always stuff with feathers. (I buy cheap down pillows and use the feathers in my custom pillow forms) Because this pillow is so large, I used two standard queen pillows to fill this one form.  I am able to buy pillow forms at Ollies for $6.99 each.  This is the most expensive part of the project.

Stuff pillow form in case, and ENJOY!

Rebekah

I linked up to the parties on our Where we Party Page!

Monogrammed Lavender Sachets

I am so excited to share a project I have been working on with you!  I just bought a new sewing machine that allows me to create and sew custom embroidery.  I have been trying to perfect the monogramming function.  I still have a lot to learn, but look at these adorable monogrammed lavender sachets I was able to make with my new machine! 

I wanted to keep the look neutral so I chose a gray embroidery thread. As for the fabric, I rarely throw my scraps away.  Because these sachets measure 6x6, I was able to make use of a few scrap pieces of nutral linen that I had from other projects.

I just love the way these single monogrammed sachets turned out!  They are so cute, and they smell divine in an underware drawer.  Unfortunately because of the complexity of the embroidery work, I will not write a tutorial on this project. 

 However, as promised I will have a tutorial on my long lumbar pillow I showed you a couple weeks ago for my Little Man's Bedroom makeover this upcoming Wednesday.

I am learning patience really is a virtue.  I am still waiting for my little man's head board.  I am beginning to think I should have gone ahead and made one myself!  Perhaps before my 3 year old goes off to college I will be able to reveal this room to you! Oh well!

Rebekah

Spring Insprired!

I have a confession to make...when Kandi and I started this blog, I did not know the first thing about blogging.  In fact for the first couple of months, Kandi wrote and posted all of are entries.  I would send her pictures, and comments, and she would rearrange and rewrite everything.  I have come a long way in the last few months.  I find this ironic because her computer has been down for almost a month now, and I know she is itching to get back to her keyboard, and back to you.  This morning as I was drinking my coffee, and working on the blog, I hopped over to my Pinterest Page, and saw that Kandi had managed to get herself to a computer and "Pin" a few new spring images.  So on behave of Kandi and I, here are a few "Spring Images" that are inspiring us.  I need to get ready for church, so I am not going to put a link under each of the pictures.  However, if you go to the top right corner of our web page there is a button that you can press that says "Follow me on Pinterest"  just hit that button and you can go to Kandi's spring page and link back to the original post and author. 

Enjoy!

thanks for joining Kandi and me this Sunday!

Rebekah

Spring Mantle and Decorating with Vintage Windows

I have been sewing so much these past few days, that I had to take a break and rearrange my mantle.  This mantle was inspired by one of my favorite spring trees the pussy willow.  I love their soft velvety buds announcing spring has finally arrived.  I could not resist picking up a couple of branches the other day and using them over my family room's fireplace.

I found these great vintage milk bottles at a consignment store here in Lynchburg.  I just love them and their bright graphics. (I wish I had a better picture to show you of the milk bottles.  I will try to get one today!)

Isn't this old window great?  I am seeing vintage windows all over Pinterest these days.  In most towns you can find them at salvage shops or at a Habitat for Humanity Restore.  (You can find them for less than $10).

Just be careful when handling them, they are usually older than 1978, which is the magical year lead paint was taken off the shelves, so the patina you love so much is LEAD paint!  I would recommend washing your hands after you handle old windows and don't hang them in reach of your little ones.  I think their is a common misconception that lead is dangerous on old windows because our kids will chew on the wood and get sick....as for me, I have never walked into a room and told my child, Whoa stop eating that window!  I doubt you have either! 

 LEAD is dangerous because when you open and close a window that was painted prior to 1978 with paint that was on the shelves prior to 1978, it creates lead dust.  That lead dust floats through the air, or is found on your hands after you open or close the window, or when your little ones play near the window sill.  High levels of lead can be extremely dangerous.  This is why the experts recommend replacing windows or at the very least painting over the old paint with a new non lead based paint to encapsulate the poison.  Here is the current design dilemma.  We love patina!  All that vintage chippy wood makes our hearts pitter patter! So when using vintage pieces, keep them high, and wash your hands after handling.

Don't forget that stain prior to 1978 also contains lead paint, so when you sand your vintage piece to get it ready to paint you are releasing lead particles into the air.  This is why products like Annie Sloan's Chalk paint are so great.  You don't have to sand before you paint!  Here is a link to her product line...Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. (In full disclosure I have not yet used her paint, but I hear it is amazing!)

Picture from Perfectly Imperfect Blog

If you are really concerned about limiting lead paint in your home the best way to get that chippy look is by buying new and distressing it yourself.  If you are like me and you can't resist the price tag and quality of an older piece just be careful with how you handle and refinish your piece.  The more sanding and distressing, the more dust you create. At the very least work on your projects in a well ventilate area, or outside, wear a mask, and shower and wash your clothes after sanding.


 Here is a link if you want to read more about the dangers of LEAD paint. EPA's LEAD PAINT DISCLOSURE (Okay I will get off my soapbox, and back to my design...)

As you can see, I love old vintage peices. And I continue to use them in my design.

I know I should probably put my bunnies away, but I just was not ready, so maybe I will keep them out just a little longer. :)

I would love to see your spring mantles.  Send me a picture, or leave me a comment with a link.

Thanks for joining me today. And reading my LEAD PAINT speach, I love to decorate and share my projects with you, but I never want someone to go out and do something that could potentially endanger their family because of a project they saw here on my blog.  I want my readers to be well informed, and honestly when I decorate with vintage finds, my first thought is not is this item potentially dangerous for the well being of my family...so I thought this was the perfect oportunity to remind myself and you that we need to pay more attention to what goes into our vintage peices.  Please pass this information on...

Rebekah

p.s. check out our button Where We Party!

Flower Applique

I love Pottery Barn's Kids "Anywhere" Chair.  They are the perfect chair for my little ones to plant themselves and read a book, or watch TV.  (Yes my children watch TV.  Please don't judge me!) My children carry their chairs everywhere around the house.   But what happens when your "little" person is no longer little?  As you know Woven Home is not only a blog, we have a design business, and a couple of weeks ago a client of mine came to me with a project.  When her daughter was small, they bought her an "Anywhere" Chair,  and had it monogrammed.  It was great for years, but now her daughter is 12, and has out grown the chair.  The chair is no longer relevent. She did not want to throw it away, or take it to Goodwill.  So this is what we came up with...to depersonalize the chair.

Isn't that fun? Here it is before...

If you have a sewing machine than, this is a really easy project.  This is not your grandma's style of applique.  There is no ironing the rough edges under, we want to rough edges to show, so the flower has a imperfect look.

For this project I decided to applique a flower over the monogram.  Step 1:  Cut out your shapes & take the stuffing out of the chair.

Step 2:  Glue the shapes onto the chair, covering the monogram.

Step 3:  Applique your pieces onto the chair

Step 4: Restuff your chair, and enjoy!  (Or in my case, give it back to your client) 

Here is a link to Pottery Barn's Kids "Anywhere" Chair.

Anywhere Chair

This same process can be used to cover stains, rips, or other issues you may have on chairs, pillows, clothes....I think you get the idea.  I would love to see what you come up with, send me a comment and include pictures.

Thanks for joining me!

Rebekah

I linked up here...Where we Party!

Happy Easter

I hope your Easter Weekend was filled with meditation, joy, laughter, family and plenty of good food!

Happy Easter!

Rebekah